'Made in New York City' Is a Consumer Label that Can Make a Comeback, Says Seymour Melman

Remember when "Made in New York City" was sewn into sweaters and stamped on office machines? Seymour Melman, professor emeritus of industrial engineering at Columbia's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, does and he believes that factories can lead an economic revival again. New York laborers used to produce a bounty of consumer and capital goods known the world over, from knitted clothing and leather bags to office equipment and even ships. All that disappeared decades ago but Melman remembers when small family-owned factory lofts occupied much of midtown Manhattan below 34th Street--he even worked in one. He believes manufacturing can be revived in the city. With the economic downturn, Melman thinks the task is an urgent one.